Gun perforator



Aug. 3E, 1943.. G. F. TURECHEK GUN PERFoRAToR Filed May 5oi 1942 2z j 25E6: f3

lNvE'NToR G50/eef FTVGZ-m BY my@ @a ATTO NEY Patented Aug. 31, 1943 GUNPERFOBATOR George F. Turechek, Los Angeles, Calif., to Lane-WellsCompany, Los Angeles, Calif.. a

corporation of Delaware Application May so, -1942. serial No. 445,111

(ci. 1er-n.5)

`"I Claims.

.ay invention relates to gun perforators: that is. to devices adapted tobe lowered in a well casing for the purpose of ring bullets through thecasing and thereby form passages for the entrance of oil into thecasing. Among the objects of my invention are: l

First, to provide a cartridge assembly which is particularly adapted forthe gun perforator unit disclosed in my earlier patent, No. 2,092,294,issued September '1, 1937. and which retains the benefits inherent in myformer invention, particularly in that the pressure area against the gunbarre1 is restricted to an area substantially equal to that of thecartridge chamber;

Second, to provide a gun perforator wherein the powder density of itscartridge and the effective barrel length of the gun perforator isincreased as the submergence of the gun perforator in well liquid isincreased;

Third, to provide a gun perforator which is so arranged that hydrostaticpressure is applied directly against the bullet and the bullet is freeto function as a plunger which engages and compresses the powder charge;and I Fourth, to provide a gun perforator wherein the penetratingability of the gun perforator is increased as its depth of submergenceis increased, to compensate at least partially for any hindrance topenetration due to the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid in which thegun is submerged.

With the above and other objects in view, as may appear hereinafter,reference is directed to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a gun perforator showingthe parts as they appear upon assembly, but before the gun is submerged"in well liquids ,with portions of the bullet and, in addition, the backcontact member, together with associated parts, including the insulatedlead wire, shown in elevation; and

Figure 2 is a similar but fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of thegun unit showing the parts as they appear when the gun unit is submergedto substantial depth within the liquid contained in a well bore, with aportion of the bullet, a portion of the cartridge case, the back contactpin and the insulated conductor leading thereto shown in elevation.

My gun perforator includes a gun block I having external threads 2 forsupporting the gun block in a gun perforator body such as shown in myprevious Patent No. 2,092,294. The gun block is provided with aninternally threaded barrel socket 3 and a cartridge chamber 4 at theinner end thereof. The cartridge chamber 4 is centered with respect tothe socket l and is smaller in diameter, so as to form' a shoulder 5.

An. explosive resistant contactpin 8 extends through the rear end ofthegun block into the cartridge chamber 4. The cartridge chamber 4receives a cartridge l which comprises a cylindrical shell 8, and enddisks 9 and III, all formed preferably of insulating material. The rearor innergend disk 9 supports a pair of terminal members I'I and I2, oneof which engages the contact pin 6 and the other of which engages a wallof the cartridge chamber. The terminals II and I2 extend into thecartridge and are connected therein by a fuse wire I3. A suitable'ignition compound I4, commonly known as match head" compound, covers thefuse wire. 'I'he remainder of the cartridge is nlled with an explosivematerial I5.

The outer end ofthe cartridge chamber receives a' sealing disk IB havinga skirt I1 directed into the cartridge chamber and fitting -into arudimentary counterbore. f. I he skirt I1 prevents the explosive forcefrom entering between the barrel and shoulder 5, thereby restricting thepressure area to that of the cartridge chamber.

The barrel socket 3 receives a gun barrel "I8, the inner end of whichseats against the shoulder 5.' A sealing gasket I9 is provided betweenthe gun barrel and barrel socket. 'I'he gun barrel is provided with agun bore 20 centered with respect to the cartridge chamber and ofsmallerdiameter. A bullet 2| ts in the gun bore 20 and projects rearwardlythrough an opening in the sealing disk. 'I'he rear or baise end of thebullet is provided with a flange 22 having approximately the diameter ofthe interior of the cartridge shell 8. The ilange may be in the form ofa dat plate welded to the bullet. The outer or pointed end of the bullet2| is covered by' a sealing plug 23'which may be shaped to conform tothe pointed end of the bullet, but is provided with an outwardlydirected pressure' flange so as to readily seal the gun bore against thepassage of fluid inwardly around the bullet.

Operation of my gun perforator is as follows: When `the partsjareassembled they are in the positions shown in Figure 1; that is. theexplosive is partially compressed in the cartridge, the bullet is in itsforward position in the gun barrel with the flange 22 bea g against thesealing disk I 6. When the gu periorator is lowered into. the well boreand submerged in liquid several thousand feet the hydrostatic r pressureof' the liquid forces the bullet back-l K wardly into the cartridgechamber, as shown in Figure 2. In doing so, the explosive material isfurther compressed and the eective length of the barrel is increased bythe amount that the bullet projects into the cartridge chamber.

It is of course essential that the cylindrical portion of the bullet belong enough that a substantial proportion thereof remain in the bore ofthe gun barrel, so that it will be properly guided. The increase inpowder density increases the powder pressure within the chamber and theincrease in effective barrel length tends to increase the muzzlevelocity of the bullet. These two factors combine to increase thepenetrating power of the bullet, particularly when firing into liquidunder material hydrostatic pressure, and thereby tend to compensate forany loss of penetrating power due to the hydrostatic head of the liquidagainst which the bullet must move.

Various changes and alternate arrangements may be made within the scopeof the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all noveltyinherent in the invention.

I claim:

1. A gun perforator comprising: means delining a cartridge chamber andgun bore; a bullet for said gun bore exposed to the hydrostatic pressureof liquids in which the gun perforator is immersed, and adapted to beurged by said hydrostatic pressure backwardly into said cartridgechamber; an explosive cartridge -in said cartridge chamber adapted tobel compressed by rearward mvement of said bullet; said cartridgechamber being larger than said gun bore; and a flange on the inner endof said bullet within said cartridge chamber.

2. A gun perforator comprising: means dening avcartridge chamber and anopen ended gun bore leading therefrom; a bullet and sealing cap thereforslidable in said gun bore and adapted under urge of hydrostatic pressureof a liquid in which the gun perforator is immersed to form a. ram; anexplosive cartridge in said chamber adapted to be compressed by saidbullet; said cartridge chamber being larger than said gun bore; andaflange on the inner end of said bullet within said cartridge chamber.

3. .The combination with a gun `perforator having a cartridge chamberand a gun bore smaller in diameter than said chamber and extendingtherefrom, of a cartridge comprising: a shell iitting said chamber andcontaining an explosive charge, said shell constituting a cylinder; abullet including a flanged end forming a piston for saidcylinderwhereby, when said bullet is subjected to the hydrostaticpressure of liquids in which the gun is immersed, the piston is urgedinto said cylinder to compress said explosive charge.

4. The combination with a gun perforator having a cartridge chamber anda gun bore leading therefrom, of a cartridge comprising: a cartridgecase and a bullet extending therefrom adapted to flt said cartridgechamber and gun bore, respectively, said bullet movable into said caseto compress-the explosive contained therein.

5. The combination with a gun perforator having a cartridge chamber anda gun bore leading therefrom, of a cartridge comprising: a cartridgecase, a bullet extending therefrom and a sealing element carried by theextended end of saidV bullet, the case and bullet fitting in saidchamber and gun bore, respectively, said bullet movable under urge ofhydraulic pressure against said s'ealing means to compress the explosivecontained in said cartridge.

6. A gun perforator, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said iiange isshearable under the explosive pressures generated in said chamber.

'7. A gun perforator, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said flange'tends to delay release of said bullet until the explosive pressureexceeds a predetermined value, whereupon said .flange Shears GEORGE F.TURECHEK.

